Power partnership fuels youth with cerebral palsy
A unique partnership between hospital-based physiotherapists, community fitness professionals and MRU health and physical education students is helping young cerebral palsy patients improve their strength and mobility.
The groundbreaking initiative, called the Resistance Intensive Personal Training Program (RIPT), which is part of a number of accessibility initiatives offered through Recreation. Mount Royal University is an original partner of the Calgary Adapted Hub, which was founded in 2022 with the support of Jumpstart and connects children, youth, and families living with disabilities with inclusive and accessible sport and recreation programming in the city of Calgary.
RIPT uses power training to enhance muscle power and function and is geared towards patients developing a better gait, increasing their walking speed and/or being able to more effectively complete everyday tasks. Hospital physiotherapists joined forces with Cougars Athletics and Recreation and the MRU Injury & Prevention Clinic to offer the program to groups of cerebral palsy (CP) patients ages eight to 17.
“It’s basically cutting edge,” says physiotherapist Candice Natrasony. “We know that youth with cerebral palsy have more slow-twitch fibres. Through training, we can affect the muscle architecture to more closely resemble fast twitch muscles that come in handy in life.”
Natrasony oversees the program and has more than 30 years of experience as a pediatric physiotherapist. She is also a part-time PhD student at the University of Alberta.
“Society in general doesn’t associate building muscles or working out or being an athlete with someone with CP. But the kids work so hard and they select their own goals for what is important to them, which could be to run faster, do the stairs or to carry grocery bags. We’re crushing it.”
What is power training?
Power training differs from traditional strength training by emphasizing explosive movements, in which force is applied quickly, instead of using heavier weights and slower movements.
“It is a type of resistance training that is dependent on velocity,” Natrasony says. “If you train on a leg press, which is a common piece of equipment we use, they are going to explode out as fast as they can in the shortening phase and then slowly return to the start. If you see people in the gym doing fast movements like that, they are probably power training. There’s also a difference in the sets and rest periods. We follow six reps, six sets with two minutes between efforts.
“Historically, kids with CP have been under-dosed, as if there’s a belief that they can’t do hard work. But they can and they love it.”
The power strength program, launched as a pilot in the spring of 2021, was brought to Mount Royal in 2023. Physiotherapists work with MRU fitness trainers and Department of Health and Physical Education students training as allied health professionals to offer 12-week courses that run twice a week for an hour. Youth with CP train alongside each other in groups of six to eight. One of the key pieces of equipment used as part of the program is a “shuttle” or adaptable leg press, located in the exercise area of MRU’s Injury & Prevention Clinic, which offers massage therapy, chiropractic care and other forms of physical therapy. Some youth are unable to safely use the weight machines in the main area because the machines are too big or not supportive enough, so they move between the clinic and MRU Recreation to complete their workouts.
Community comes together
“The progression that the teens have and the relationships they build are amazing,” says Jackie Cooney fitness and customer experience supervisor with Cougars Athletics and Recreation. “It takes time and effort to get a program together but we are a welcoming community and this is a huge win.
“When one of the students begins to walk, it’s incredibly rewarding. These types of experiences provide an amazing opportunity for growth for everyone involved.”
Natrasony said power training programs for youth are typically based in hospital and clinical settings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was forced to look elsewhere to pilot the program as hospital space was not available at the time.
“The evidence shows that power training for youth with CP outperforms regular strength training in hospital or clinic-based settings,” she says. “What we hope to show is that our outcomes are equivalent to a clinic setting or superior.
“We know from our data that families and youth are telling us they prefer to be out in the community so we are so grateful to our community partners. There’s something to this.”
About 50 youth have completed the program since its inception. There are plans for further expansion, at other sites, to benefit more patients.
Visible results
Kim Defoe watched her 12-year-old son, Dax, make rapid movement-specific improvements after enrolling in the program.
“Dax was able to create measurable, specific goals related to hockey, which is one of his passions,” Defoe says. “His skating improved so much that his skating coach even called to ask what we had been doing differently because of the improvement in his stride and strength, which I believe is a direct result of the program. We continue to use some of the concepts from the program in his physio today and I am grateful for the program and organizers.”
Natrasony says that as a practitioner, the most rewarding aspect of the program is watching youth set and then work towards meeting goals.
“When folks say, ‘I want to get strong,’ I say, ‘Get strong for what?’ We’ve developed a goal bank to help us have a goal-setting conversation,” she explains. “The best part of my work day is the kids meeting their goals, which is beautiful to me. And then there’s this relationship that happens with the training group. This warmth and investment in young people — seeing the kids steadily build their confidence — is amazing.”
The Resistance Intensive Personal Training Program is partially funded by The Melton Foundation grant and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. Donations are welcome to help continue this important initiative.